Chad Hugo accuses Pharrell Williams of trying to erase him from The Neptunes
Chad Hugo has asked a court to reject Pharrell Williams's bid to throw out his copyright infringement lawsuit over music made as The Neptunes.
The opposition filing accuses Williams of trying to erase Hugo's contributions to the production partnership. Copyright infringement here means the claim that music was used or credited without the permission of a co-writer, according to the filing reported by Rolling Stone.
Hugo alleges Williams is attempting to rewrite history to present the success of The Neptunes as the work of one person. He says Williams has sought over the past few years to remove him from the duo. The filing states bluntly that The Neptunes were two people.
Hugo and Williams wrote and produced records together under that name for three decades, the filing says. It argues the defendants are asking the court to write Hugo out of The Neptunes on the pleadings, the initial written claims and responses, before any documents have been produced. That is before the exchange of evidence that usually comes before a trial.
A key dispute is scale. Williams has argued the case covers only one song. Hugo rejects that. He says the lawsuit encompasses compositions from nearly 50 studio sessions held between 2019 and 2021.
Hugo cited the EarthGang track ‘U Gotta’ as an example. He alleges he was removed from its credits despite the recording artists acknowledging his contributions. Credits decide who is publicly named as a writer or producer. They also feed into royalties, the payments made when music is streamed, sold or broadcast.
Williams had earlier asked for the case to be dismissed. A motion to dismiss is a formal request asking a judge to end a case before trial. Williams argues Hugo has not identified a viable federal copyright claim, as reported by Rolling Stone.
The wider lawsuit also includes accusations of unpaid royalties, first reported by Billboard in January. Hugo’s latest filing asks the court to let those claims move forward to evidence gathering rather than ending the case now.
